Cowboys can’t stop the run

That was one of the burning questions to emerge from Sunday’s 23-13 win over Seattle after Marshawn Lynch rushed for 135 yards and a TD on 23 carries.

Through the first six games of the season, Dallas sported the league’s stingiest run defense, allowing just 69.7 yards per game. But things started falling apart last week when Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy shredded the Cowboys for 185 yards and two TDs on 30 carries, the most yards allowed to a single runner by Dallas in more than a decade.

Asked to pinpoint the problem, nose tackle Jay Ratliff told ESPNDallas.com, “I don’t really know, but I guarantee you this: We’re going to find out what it is and we’re going to get it fixed. Period. We’re not doing something right. Maybe it’s something as small as we’re not staying square in the running game or something simple like that. But we know it’s something physical.”

As usual, coordinator Rob Ryan accepted the blame, but that’s letting the players off the hook, something one accountable veteran doesn’t want to see happen.

“We’ve just got to do it better, man,” Marcus Spears said. “I don’t really know if it’s (that) Rob can call a better defense. We’ve just got to do it better up front as players.”